Cows of the Sea

Manatees are an endangered, slow-moving, marine mammal sometimes known as sea cows and are found in many of Florida's waterways.

History:

1493:
Christopher Columbus mistakes what is now a sea cow/manatee, for a mermaid. The observation sounds ridiculous until we hear that they were perhaps taken for a mermaid by the sailors long at sea without the company of women.
1768:
The Manatees closest land relatives are the elephant and the hyrax. They are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. The West-Indian manatee is related to the West-African manatee, the Amazonian manatee the dugong, and to the Steller's sea cow, which was hunted to extinction in 1768.
1989:

January in Florida, 42 manatees died, 30 of which could be attributed to the cold.
1991:
The largest oil slick in history, caused when Iraq opened a tap at a Kuwaiti oil tanker station, proposes a large problem to marine mammals and their ability to come up and breathe.
2001:
The highest ever count of manatees, since the mammal was hunted and close to extinct, is 3276. Around 10 percent of that number, 325, died of all causes.

Physical Make-up:
Manatees are large (which often associates them with cows) measuring at eight to thirteen feet and weighing 440 to 1,300 pounds.

Illustration: Manatee compared with adult man

Above is their size to a 6-ft man. Despite their massive bulk, manatees are graceful swimmers; powered by their strong tales. The mammals typically glide along at the slow pace of five mph and fifteen mph in short bursts. The true color of a manatee is gray, although they appear brownish-gray. The pectoral fins on the side of the manatee serve as steering mechanisms and for bringing food to the animal's mouth. Manatees do not have external ear flaps. The tiny opening to the ear canal is located several centimeters behind the eye. Their nostrils lie at the end of the snout on the upper surface. They close automatically when a manatee submerges.
Manatees have a large flexible upper lip. Their lips help guide vegetation into the mouth. Vibrissae (whiskers) are found on the surface of the upper lip. Each vibrissa is separately attached to nerve endings and has its own supply of blood.

Manatee nostrils close automatically when it submerges.

Diet and Eating Habits:

Adult West Indian manatees average about 3 m (10 ft.)and weigh approximately 363 to 544 kg (800 to 1,200 lb.).

Manatees have a concentration of hairs around their snouts as well as scattered over their bodies. A substantial nerve network transmits tactile information from these vibrissae to the brain.